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Posted: Wednesday, 18 July 2012 10:53AM

Lease goal pushed back for Bills, Erie County



It seems as though the Buffalo Bills and Erie County won't get their wish when the team opens up training camp at St. John Fisher College.

According to a report by the Buffalo News, the franchise and County Executive Mark Poloncarz have relaxed their original deadline and have a new target in mind.

"We've accomplished a lot. Every party knows where the other one stands," Poloncarz said according to the report. "Now, it's just that final time where you sort of butt heads with each other until you reach an agreement. So I feel confident we're going to get an agreement done by the end of the year."

That is a stark difference from the original target date, in which the County Executive previously said he hoped to have a deal done by the end of this month.

The present lease with Erie County is set to expire on July 31, 2013. If a deal weren't reached between now and February 15, 2013 (the NFL deadline to apply for permission to relocate a franchise), and the team is sold sometime before that date, the Bills could conceivably be relocated by next year.

That is not the intent of Poloncarz, saying just a few days prior that the County would like a firm agreement that the would make it incredibly difficult to break a lease that would span over the next 10-to-15 years.

It is unknown as to what concessions the Bills are asking for in return for an agreement that would prevent the team from moving over the course of the next decade-plus. Poloncarz did tell the Buffalo News that the Bills have asked for renovations to Ralph Wilson Stadium that would cost anywhere from $200 million to $220 million.

The franchise will open up training camp in Pittsford, NY next week.

All photos courtesy of AP
Filed Under :  
Locations : Erie County
People : Mark Poloncarz
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